When Two Worlds Collide
by NamikazeMinato99
Summary: Centuries after the death of the Z warriors, an old enemy returns to threaten the Naruto world.
1. End of the World?

Chapter 1: End of the World?

The sky turned black as the battle continued above a deserted city. Each clash between the warriors produced shockwaves that shattered glass in the buildings below. Occasionally, there was a flash of lightning and the roar of thunder, which added to the drama. The final five fighters left to defend an empty planet were clashing with the beastly Saiyan in the skies above. Suddenly, one of the fighters was knocked down, and sent crashing into the ground below at speeds faster than the eye could see. He groaned loudly as he lay there and contemplated the situation at hand.

"Damn it" Goku gasped, as he struggled to his feat. His signature orange gi was torn in various places and the bruises that covered his body was a testament to the battle that they were fighting. His bright blonde hair had small traces of blood smattered around it, which had come from a previous battle. "He's just too strong for us to handle. What can we do against a power like this?"

Another fighter landed next to where Goku was standing, creating another large crater in the earth. Like Goku, his blonde hair was spiked up wildly and he carried battle scars all over his body. He reluctantly got back to his feet and spit the blood that gathered in his mouth onto the floor.

"The boys have fused," he said, with a hint of despair in his voice. "Hopefully they can keep him occupied for a while. How long until we can fuse again, Kakarot?"

"At least 20 minutes" Goku sighed, cursing the bad luck that had befallen them. "If only we knew that he was going to show up just after we finished fighting that android. We never would have fused if we knew what was coming. His strength is unreal, he's become so much powerful than he was before. I'll be honest with you Vegeta, I'm not sure what we can do."

"That fucking wizard" Vegeta spat, while watching his son do battle above him. "He tricked us and we fell for it like a couple of inexperienced children. He knew that we would deplete ourselves while fighting that android and then he took advantage of our condition to unleash this monster. At least he got his just reward, but what's the plan now? Gotenks can't hold him off for 20 minutes and those other two are completely outclassed."

Goku considered the options, but he couldn't think of anything that would work at this point. Gohan, Gotenks and Piccolo were all fighting this enemy and were getting nowhere. He was casually taking everything they could throw at them with minimal effort and throwing easy attacks of his own. He was toying with them now and they knew it. Goku continued to watch the fight above when he realized that he was shaking and beads of sweat were streaming down his face. He had never feared an enemy this much as they had never been so overwhelmed.

Then, there was a green flash in the sky above and three more figures were sent flying down towards the ground. They screamed out in pain as they crashed into the concrete of the ground. The first of them to stand up was Gohan, whose previously neat clothing had been torn to shreds. He stumbled on his feet and only avoided falling to the floor through Piccolo's intervention, who held onto the boy he had practically raised for a year of his life. Gotenks, the fusion of Goku and Vegeta's children, simply glared at the intimidating form that mocked them.

"Kakarot!" he screamed, "Get back here so I can kill you and your children. I want to crush you all in my hands and watch you die." He laughed manically after he had finished speaking, enjoying every second of it. As if to show off even more, he produced another burst of incredible power that shook the very centre of the earth.

"We've only got one option" Goku said, not overly confident in what he was about to say. "We combine our attacks into one and aim it straight for him. We're all exhausted and that's the most power we can produce. Hopefully, he'll underestimate us like he did before and we can break through."

Vegeta wasn't enthusiastic about this idea, partly because it was Goku that suggested it but mostly because of the very small chance it had of working. Predictably, he made his displeasure known.

"You really think Broly is going to fall for that?" Vegeta snapped. "Don't forget Kakarot, he's been defeated using that plan once before. He may not be the smartest warrior I've ever faced but he can't be that foolish."

"It doesn't matter" Piccolo yelled, making his voice heard. "Goku is right, it is the only chance we have. You two can't fuse for another 15 minutes that we don't have to spare. The chances this will work may be slim, but it's better than no chance at all."

"We agree" Gohan and Gotenks said in unison, determined to overrule Vegeta, who sighed as he realized that this plan was going ahead no matter what he said.

"Alright" he said, giving up his one-man protest. "Let's do it then. I just want it to be known that if we just set ourselves up to fail then it is not my fault."

All 5 of them floated up into the sky and charged up. Screams of pain filled the air as they were surrounded by golden light. Lightning that emanated from their bodies clashed with the storm in the air, giving off an aura of power. Gohan and Piccolo reached their maximum states quicker but Goku and Vegeta took several minutes to unleash everything they had. Broly simply stared at them, seemingly ready to face the challenge that might be coming his way. Finally, they all took their stances and prepared for their last stand.

"Kame"

"Final"

"Special Beam"

"HA!"

"FLASH!"

"CANNON!"

All 5 attacks were sent zooming towards their target, who just laughed. The different colour beams intertwined with each other and in any other situation, it could be said that they were dazzling.

"You think you can win here?" Broly said mockingly, as he charged a small green sphere that he then fired towards them. Without too much effort, he held the attack at bay by simply keeping his arm extended and laughed once more.

"Alright" Goku yelled, his voice clearly strained. To their credit, the group continued firing. "No holding back for the sake of the planet. Whatever we do can be repaired with the Dragon Balls. Hit him with your full power or we will lose everything!"

There was a sudden burst of power that stunned the great Saiyan. His attack was extinguished and the combined beam was sent into him. He screamed in pain as the blinding light consumed him, completely concealing him from sight. After they had finished, the tired fighters stayed floating, hoping they had succeeded.

"Is he dead?" Gohan asked, hoping to hear good news. They stared at the mass of smoke that had gathered, waiting for it to clear. When it finally did, their hearts sunk. The hulking great Saiyan was wounded, but he was not dead. He was holding his stomach, with blood streaming from the hole that had emerged there. Yet, he fire and hatred in his eyes still remained, as did the unsettling grin on his face.

"One more time" Goku said, his confidence returning when he saw the state the Legendary Super Saiyan was in. "If we can hit him with what ever we have left, he's going to die for sure."

Just as the rest of the group voiced their approval, Broly interrupted with a low laugh.

"I'm going to die Kakarot, you're right. But, I'm going to be taking you with me!"

Broly yelled as a green orb of ki surrounded him. He continued to power up as the orb expanded, getting slowly bigger. It seemed impossible that he could have so much power left after taking a powerful attack like that, yet there he was. After a few seconds, it became obvious what he was planning to do.

"He's going to blow himself up!" Piccolo shouted, shocking the others. "Attack now, we have to stop him!"

The others attacked, but it was no good. The ki attacks just made the orb grow quicker and didn't affect Broly at all. As the blasts collided hopelessly with the growing attack, Broly screamed with laughter. With no hope left, Goku came to an inevitable conclusion.

'We can't stop him" Goku admitted, exasperated. "He's going to destroy himself and this whole planet. I can't touch him, so I can't use Instant Transmission to get him out of here like with Cell. Our attacks are ineffective and he's too crazy to be reasoned with. What do we do now?"

They all stood there for a second, accepting their demise. It was ironic really, that after everything they had faced together it would be a fellow Saiyan and enemy they had already defeated twice that would finally be victorious. Then Vegeta turned to his comrades, the Saiyan prince's voice filled with pride.

"We can't save ourselves" he said, "but we can still save this planet and at least some of it's people. We all have a little ki left. If we can put up a barrier with everything we have left, then maybe we can just about save this world."

"Ve-, Vegeta" Goku stammered, stunned at what he had just heard. "I can't believe you care so much."

"Shut up Kakarot" Vegeta snapped, looking slightly embarrassed. "This isn't the time for emotional speeches either. If we can keep this planet from being destroyed and if we can keep the young Namek up there alive, then everyone can be brought back. So, come on let's get to it."

The 5 warriors spread out around the planet and used their ki to create a shield. Just expanding their energy to cover the surface of the planet was excruciating and even seemed impossible. Also, because of the ki they had already wasted, they could all tell that it might not be enough.

"All we can do now is hope," Gohan said to himself, as he thought of the wife and daughter that he had lost already that day. He promised himself that the Dragon Balls would bring them back, and he had to make sure that this shield held so that he could keep that promise.

"Dende" Piccolo said, sending his thoughts out to the terrified Namek on top of the Lookout.

"Yes, Piccolo?" Dende responded sounding nervous.

"It's up to you now" Piccolo responded, trying to say everything he had to quickly. "Find the Dragon Balls once we've gone and bring everyone back. Don't grieve for us and don't be too hard on yourself. You have not failed in your duty because that duty will only begin now. Good luck."

"_Chi Chi, Pan, Krillin_" Goku thought, letting his mind wander. "_I do this in the hope that I will see you again. _

"_Bulma, Trunks, Bra I do this for you and in the hope that we can end our days as a family on this earth" _Vegeta promised to himself.

Eventually, the green sphere exploded, the destructive power spreading throughout the earth. The 5 heroes screamed in agony as they withstood the attack and willed their shield to hold. They didn't have enough ki left to put a strong barrier around themselves, so they had to simply endure for as long as their bodies would allow. The green light engulfed everything and the last thing any of them saw was the loved ones they hoped to save.

Their sacrifice was not in vain. The shield held and the earth survived. However, it was not without a dear cost. The earth's population was reduced to a relative handful and the surface was scarred with the evidence of destructive power. Society was forced to begin again, as the survivors tried to heal the wounded planet. The great cities and impressive technology were gone, as were the pioneers that had built them to begin with. Survival instincts had kicked in and the Earthlings simply had to do the best they could with the little that they had. Dende and his faithful assistant, , spent the next millennium scouring the planet for the Dragon Balls, but they were never found. They searched high and low but with each passing years the hopes they had faded. Attempts to contact Namek were suggested but the determination of Dende to complete his task and the protest from the Elder Kai soon blocked those ambitions. The earth was built again, but it was not the same as it was before. Earthlings gained different abilities and lived in a simpler time. Dende was eventually forced to abandon his search as the people of the earth advanced too far to simply restore the past. The history of the earth quickly turned to legend and legend became myth and soon the past was forgotten completely. However, that would not be the case for much longer.


	2. Strange Feelings

Chapter 2: Strange Feelings

Naruto picked himself off the ground and stared back at his enemy. He was in the midst of a fierce battle in the middle of an open field and he was struggling badly. Each breath took a lot of effort and he could feel aches and pain in almost every part of his body. However, he wasn't going to give up. He never gave up because that was his ninja way. He thought back to his training and simply stopped for a second, not allowing his emotions to be his master. One deep breath later, he was ready for action once more. He then summoned a clone and held out his hand. In no time, there was an orb of blue chakra rotating in his palm and Naruto ran towards his target. He pulled his arm back and prepared for the impact.

"Rasengan!" he cried, just as his opponent prepared to dodge. Although, this time Naruto was prepared for the movement and he altered his run, which allowed his to thrust the attack towards his opponent's chest. However, this was easily dodged and the elderly man he was facing doubled back.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Naruto hadn't been expecting the counter of fire, yet that didn't mean that he was completely helpless against it. Luckily, he had not ended his clone jutsu just yet and he was able to use his copy to throw him out of harms way. While this destroyed the clone, it at least allowed him to remain safe. Taking a different tack, he drew a kunai and engaged the other man in a bout of taijutsu, where his younger body was at a slight advantage. He soon summoned more clones to help in his assault and he soon overwhelmed his competitor. Finally, a Rasengan was able to connect and the man was sent flying into the nearest tree, where his long gray hair simply lay around his back.

"Pervy Sage" Naruto gasped, as he stood in awe of his accomplishment. "I did it."

"Well done Naruto" Jiraiya said, as he stepped out from behind the tree. The man who lay in front of the tree disappeared in a cloud of white smoke. "Who would have thought that you could beat my Shadow Clone without any assistance? Although, you've got a long way to go to beating me."

Jiraiya couldn't resist the little dig at the end. In truth, he was proud of his student and the progress that he had made. He had watched the young boy grow over the course of the last three years and he was now a fine young man not unlike his father, especially around the hair. However, it was his improved skillset that was truly impressive, with his strength, speed, stamina and general power all vastly improved. Of course, this was a necessary power gain as Naruto was in great danger. The criminal organization known as The Akatsuki were after him and Naruto had to be able to defend himself. Although, that didn't seem to be Naruto's main concern, as he seemed more determined to rescue his friend, Sasuke Uchiha, than to protect himself.

"Well, I guess this is it" Jiraiya said, "It's our last training session together. Tomorrow we'll be back in the Hidden Leaf Village and you'll be on a team again."

"I can't believe it's finally over" Naruto replied, sounding slightly upset. "I mean, I want to get back to the village, but it's been fun hanging out with you for the past 3 years Pervy Sage. I guess it was all worth it in the end."

Jiraiya smiled as he listened to Naruto's words, before leading his student back towards the hotel they were staying at in town. He felt a little tinge of regret as they began to wind down from their very last training session and watched the sun fall beneath the trees.

"Yeah, it's been a good time kid, although I do have one regret" Jiraiya said, looking to draw a reaction from his student.

"What's that?" Naruto asked innocently, not realizing the sarcasm in his teacher's voice.

"I wasn't able to get you to appreciate my great literature!"

Naruto and Jiraiya both laughed at this and continued joking around as they reached the town. Jiraiya's present of his latest novel wasn't met with much enthusiasm, although they compromised on the idea that it would make a good present for Naruto's former teacher Kakashi. As Jiraiya walked, it dawned on him that this would be the last time he would have someone for company as he walked around a strange place. In his future intelligence gathering missions, he knew he'd miss the companionship. Sure, the wild nights with women were fun and all but at his age he appreciated the finer company. However, as they reached their hotel room, Jiraiya stopped in his tracks.

"What the hell is that?" he thought, as a gut wrenching feeling came over him. He'd never felt anything like it before, both in it's scale and the general evil that crept over him.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto inquired, a little worried about his teacher's strange behavior.

"_That chakra, _Jiraiya thought, _that's huge. I'm no sensory type, but even I can feel that. It's evil, of that I have no doubt. So full of aggression and malice, their hatred is truly remarkable. Where is it coming from and, more importantly, who's controlling it. The Akatsuki? Orochimaru? Another village? Whoever it is, it's bad news for us. I'll have to tell Tsunade as soon as I can._

"It's nothing for you to worry about" Jiraiya said sternly, which let Naruto know he shouldn't ask any more questions. "You go in the room, while I just send a message to Tsunade, so that she knows to expect us tomorrow."

Naruto did as he was told, while Jiraiya summoned one of his toads and explained the situation. After it was done, he sent the small animal away to relay the information to the Hidden Leaf Village. He knew that, from now on, it was a whole different game.

Deep underground, another young Shinobi was also undergoing intense training. The boy with spiky black hair and blood red eyes found himself surrounded by a large group of masked and nameless ninja. Despite their overwhelming advantage in numbers, the masked men all appeared to be very nervous. There were whispers amongst them that this boy was the last of a famous clan of warriors, a once in a generation genius. In contrast to the nervous mutterings of the group, the boy was calm and collected. He simply reached his hand back to his sword and withdrew it slightly, before moving quicker than the eye could see. Instantly, the masked shinobi began to fall one by one, blood being sprayed from their slashed limbs. This boy's master, with his long black and hair and pale skin, stood on a balcony above the room and watched as the events unfolded. His yellow eyes followed every movement below, keeping their concentration on the events.

_Incredible _he thought, as he listened to the cries of pain. _They always called me a genius as a child, but he is something else. Of course, he won't be able to grow much further as his body will soon be mine. _

As the boy finished, his master noticed something peculiar that annoyed him.

"Sasuke" he hissed. The boy slowly stopped, although he didn't seem to be paying much attention. However, his teacher knew exactly what buttons he needed to be pressed in order to draw some kind of reaction. "You didn't kill any of them. Why is this? You'll have to be much more ruthless if you hope to deal with Itachi."

The boy, Sasuke, glared back up at his teacher with utter contempt. Unlike Naruto, Sasuke felt absolutely no connection to his Sensei and saw him as nothing more than a path to power and an obstacle he would have to overcome in the near future.

"The only person I intend to kill, Orochimaru, is Itachi" Sasuke replied, with a tone that portrayed his true feelings. "If that's all, then-"

Sasuke was cut off as he felt a sudden surge of chakra. He didn't recognize it and, more importantly, he couldn't pinpoint exactly where it was coming from. He pondered what it was for a moment, before Orochimaru spoke again.

"That's very interesting" Orochimaru mused, a hint of delight in his voice. His casual response was unnerving, making Sasuke wonder if anything would draw a reaction from him. "I wonder what that could be. I guess we'll have to find out, eh Sasuke?"

Sasuke had already begun to leave as Orochimaru spoke, his back now facing his master. He didn't intend to show him any weakness, knowing that it would only be used against him later.

"You do what you want, I couldn't care less" Sasuke said, trying to sound convincing.

High above the surface of the planet, on top of a large lookout that floated in the sky, an old and wrinkled Namekian was studying the world below. He too had just felt the disturbing energy that was nearing the planet, and he was incredibly concerned. Compared to the terrors of the past, they weren't that powerful. However, he knew that their power outstripped the current generation of warriors and their motive for coming to the planet was also a concern. After all of this time, what could they possibly want?

"Mr. Popo" Dende croaked, as he called for his faithful assistant. "Did you just feel that?"

"Yes Dende" Mr. Popo replied, mirroring his masters concern. "Whoever it is, it feels like trouble. I haven't felt power like this for such a long time. What do we do?"

Dende pondered for a moment as he considered the few options that lay before him. Whichever way he chose, there was an element of risk but desperate times called for desperate measures.

"I think it's time we revealed ourselves to the Shinobi" Dende said, gripping his wooden staff tightly as he spoke. Such an action would go against everything they had discussed all these years and was in many ways illogical.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Mr. Popo asked. "We've gone over this many times before and thought it wouldn't be necessary. "

"That's true, but the situation has changed dramatically" Dende replied. "We now have to deal with an invading force from another planet once again and they must be warned. Also, I believe they may have better luck in finding the Dragon Balls than we did."

"Why would you say that?" Mr. Popo asked, the caution in his voice obvious.

"Even though they are not quite as strong as the warriors we knew in the past, they make up for it with their ingenuity and special techniques. Indeed, we could have used such techniques in the past. However, the warriors we were once friends with and relied upon are long gone. We have to believe in this generation now."

Mr. Popo nodded his heads at Dende's wise words and found that he agreed with the wise old Namekian.

"Now, Mr. Popo you will have to be the one that goes to see the world leaders down there. I think that I'm a little too old to be travelling now. It's all I can do to stand up anymore. "

Mr. Popo nodded and prepared to leave. For the longest time, he had enjoyed an often forgotten luxury known as peace. However, it was now clear that the world's time of peace was coming to an end.


	3. Plan to Find the Dragon Balls

Chapter 3: Plan to Find the Dragon Balls

There was tension, and fear, in the air as Jiraiya and Tsunade sat in the Hokage's office. They had shared a bottle of sake, but it did little to raise their spirits. At first, they had tried to avoid the seriousness of the issue by telling tales of the old days and all the fun they once enjoyed. However, the elephant in the room refused to be ignored and conversation was always dragged back towards it. Whoever, or whatever, it was that had such an astounding amount of chakra, it was a huge problem.

"The real scary thing is that I haven't heard anything about this" Jiraiya said, as he stared out of the window. "My information network is probably the best in the world, yet there was no mention of any village's creating a weapon, or any abnormally strong ninja. Which means, there's probably only one place this is coming from. The Akatsuki."

Tsunade clenched her fist so hard that they bled. They'd been preparing for the Akatsuki's attack for the last three years but they didn't expect to be facing anything on the magnitude of the power they felt. How were they supposed to fight something like that? How do you protect your village against something that you can't even comprehend?

"I'm going to have to resort to some more aggressive methods to get some Intel on this" Jiraiya said, as he downed the last of his glass. "There are some leads that I heard of that might possibly lead me to the Akatsuki leader, but I wasn't sure that I could trust them so I didn't follow up on them."

"Do what you think you have to" Tsunade replied, while she simply stared at her now empty glass. "Just come back here before you do anything that could get you killed. The last thing that I need right now is to have to deal with the demoralization of your death. Not for my sake of course, but there would be surely someone around here that would miss you."

Jiraiya laughed heartily as he put his glass down and started towards the door, waving as he went. It had always been this way between them, Tsunade pretending that she didn't care and Jiraiya acting like the goofball. They both knew that if it were anything different, they probably wouldn't be able to part ways at all. Just before he could leave, a voice called out from outside the window.

"There's no need to do that. I can tell you what that strange feeling is."

Jiraiya and Tsunade were stunned as they quickly turned around to see who this intruder was. Just outside the window, floating in the air was a small man with jet-black skin. He had bright white eyes and deep red lips and wore a white turban and a vest. Neither of the two Sannin had ever seen anything like it. Was he, or it, even human?

"Who are you?" Tsunade demanded, as she suddenly raised her guard. She'd had a stressful last few days and she was up for a fight. The force of her movements caused parts of the desk to break and for Jiraiya to step back rather nervously.

"My name is Mr. Popo" Mr. Popo replied. He spoke in a sophisticated manner that seemed to complement his unique appearance. "I have been sent here by the Guardian of the Earth to warn you about the impending attack."

There was a moment of silence as Jiraiya and Tsunade took it all in. Guardian of the Earth? Impending attack? What does it all mean?

"Wait a minute" Jiraiya said, before Mr. Popo could go any further. The name certainly rang a bell and had him searching through his mind for a distant memory. "I think I might have heard about you before. There's a story about the Guardian of the Earth and his assistant that's told by the toad elders at Mount Myoboku. I always thought it was some kind of legend and I never really believed it, they're full of ridiculous stories like that. There's something about you rebuilding the planet in those stories, but I don't remember exactly."

"Ah yes" Mr. Popo said, as he remembered the strange creatures that appeared over a millennia ago, when the planet began to heal itself. Those funny little toads kept him and Dende entertained during those long and harrowing years. He was honestly surprised that they'd passed down stories of him and Dende though. "Well, I'll explain the story to you then, it may make the next few minutes easier after that."

Mr. Popo spent the next ten minutes explaining all about the past and how close the earth came to annihilation. He told them of how they spent years scouring the planet for the Dragon Balls, but that they remained elusive. After all of that, Mr. Popo came to the most urgent point.

"There's a force on its way" he said, "from somewhere in space. Their collective power is greater than anything on this planet by a long way. Judging by the speed they seem to be travelling, and the distance we think they are currently, they should land here in about 5 days."

"5 days?" Tsunade gasped, as she raised her hand to her chest. "If they are as strong as you say, what good will five days do? It's not like we gain that much more power in that time frame."

"Hopefully" Mr. Popo began, "it will be enough time for us to gather the Dragon Balls."

Jiraiya and Tsunade stared skeptically at the genie, wondering if he'd even been listening to his own story.

"You searched for centuries!" Tsunade said, as she lost her composure. "How are we supposed to find all seven of them in just five days?"

Mr. Popo smiled, although he hadn't done anything but smile since he'd got there.

"Yes, but we think the reason we never found them is that they are buried deep underground" he said. "Of course we didn't want to destroy the planet we were trying to save to try to find them especially when we had no idea where we had to look. However, you have the advantage of a certain ability that we didn't possess."

"What would that be?" Jiraiya asked, incredibly curious about what ability they could have that the great Guardian of the Earth didn't.

"The Byakugan" Popo replied simply, as if the answer was obvious. "It can see through the earth and we'll know exactly where to look. It's the main reason why I came here first. If we move fast enough, we might be able to gather them all."

Jiraiya seemed impressed. It looked like Mr. Popo had it all figured out.

"Alright, but I think we should have a meeting of the Kage" Jiraiya said. "Because they need to know about this. Also, in the event that this enemy gets here before we can gather the Dragon Balls, we'll be better suited for a battle if we work as a cohesive unit."

"Indeed, I was about to go to the other villages myself actually" Mr. Popo replied. "One of you should probably gather the Hyuga clan and explain the situation, while I gather the other world leaders."

As Jiraiya was about to go do exactly that, Tsunade slammed her fist into the desk, one of her signature ways to get attention.

"What are these Dragon Balls going to do anyway!" she shouted, "It's not like we can use them to kill these invaders."

"No" Mr. Popo said, "but they can resurrect the people that can."

"The people that can?" Jiraiya asked, as a host of famous Shinobi from the past raced through his mind.

"Luckily, before the near destruction of the planet Dende made some adjustments to the Dragon Balls" Mr. Popo explained. "The time limit that was once placed upon them has been relinquished, meaning that we can resurrect people no matter how long ago they died. If we can resurrect those that died over a millennia ago, those that died protecting this planet, we will be victorious."

With that, Mr. Popo sped off on his flying carpet at speeds that Jiraiya and Tsunade couldn't even follow. Impressed with the display, the two of them walked out of the room, acknowledging the ANBU stationed outside the door as they went.

"We best speak to Hiashi first before we proceed" Jiraiya said, as they made their way towards the Hyuga clan's compound. After they had left the building, one of the ANBU fell to the floor, but the other didn't seem to pay any attention.

"Lord Orochimaru will be happy to hear about this," he said, before heading out of the nearest window.

"Kamehameha!"

A man with black hair and wearing an orange gi fired a blue beam of energy from the sky and straight towards the smaller man stood on the ground. He just about managed to dodge the deadly beam, but he then fired another back at the other man.

"Galick Gun!" he cried, as a purple beam of ki similar to the first attack was sent towards his opponent. This was also avoided and the two men then flew towards each other, to settle the battle with fists. Their clash sent reverberations through the air and that, combined with the occasional crash into a building, soon destroyed most of the area they were fighting in. Of course, they didn't seem to pay much attention and only had concentration of the fight ahead.

"Goku! Vegeta!" King Kai shouted, not at all surprised by what was happening although still upset. "Can you please stop that? We've already told you to take it easy when you fight, we don't want this place to be completely destroyed!"

The battle stopped for a moment as the two Saiyans stared down at the angry mam below them, slightly bemused by his suggestion.

"Holding back in a battle isn't what Saiyans were made for" Vegeta scoffed, as he folded his arms. "It's not in our nature to be soft, even if Kakarot doesn't quite conform to that particular trait."

"I'd rather be soft than heartless" Goku teased, as he flew away from Vegeta in mock fear. Vegeta rolled his eyes, before going to check on a rather close match between Goten and Trunks. The two blonde haired boys were imitating their fathers, although their attacks were much less serious and they also had the occasional distraction of the female fighters that strolled past. They had spent the last thousand or so years constantly training and getting stronger. Occasionally, the lack of any serious battle took its toll but the group seemed to generally enjoy being dead, as crazy as it sounds. Although, the next couple of minutes were about to change that.

"What?" King Kai cried, as he stood on the edge of the planet. "Oh no, I can't believe this is happening."

"What is it?" Goku asked, suddenly concerned.

"There's a great force heading towards the earth" King Kai replied, as his entire body shook. "They can't possibly stop that."

"What can we do?" Goku asked, desperate to help.

"All we can do is wait, and hope they get these Dragon Balls in time" was the reply, as he then went on to explain the entire situation that was unfolding in the mortal world.

"I see, so it's back to earth after all this time?" Vegeta said, clearly excited at the prospect. "Although, the competition down there doesn't exactly sound very inspiring."

"It's not about that Vegeta!" King Kai yelled, shaking his arms up and down in protest. "You'll be going there to save the planet, not for your own amusement!"

"Either way, it's obvious that it's out of our hands for now" Gohan spoke up. "We just have to stay here and wait patiently for the people of the earth to do their job."


	4. Preparations for War

Chapter 4: Preparations for War

"This is ridiculous!" the Raikage, Ay, yelled, banging his fist on the table. "How do we know we can trust the Hidden Leaf Village with these mythical objects?"

A meeting of the Kage was being held on the Lookout, a place unlike anything the world leaders had ever seen before. The disorientating feeling of floating above the surface of the planet was difficult enough but combined with the grandeur of the buildings it made for a quite intriguing place. Although, despite the amazing setting, the usual problems still occurred.

"I'm not comfortable with this arrangement either," the Tsuchikage, Onoki, agreed. "What we're doing is essentially giving a future enemy an unbeatable weapon, which isn't favourable for us."

"We're not going to use them as a weapon" Jiraiya responded angrily. He hated political meetings because they ended up in arguments like this one. "We need those Dragon Balls so that we can save our planet! You've surely felt the power of that chakra, do you think we have anyone that can fight that?"

"He's right" the Kazekage, who was determined to not be ignored, spoke up. "We have to put any rivalries behind us for the sake of this world. Now is the time for co-operation not petty arguments and power struggles."

"Well said" the Mizukage cheered. "We can discuss these matters after the current problem has been dealt with."

Despite being outnumbered, the Raikage and Tsuchikage didn't relent and remained visibly upset. Tsunade sighed and shook her head at the immaturity of the two village leaders.

"Alright" she began, "how about this? We send multiple teams comprised of Shinobi from each village to search for the Dragon Balls. That way, one nation doesn't have the monopoly over them."

"That seems fair," the Raikage reluctantly agreed and the Tsuchikage quickly followed suit. However, the look in their eyes suggested that they had darker intentions in mind for the search.

"Great" Mr Popo said, as he arrived at the meeting while carrying refreshments. "I'm glad to see that you're all getting along. The next thing that needs to be discussed is your joint army."

"Hold on" Onoki interrupted. "Where is this Guardian of the Earth? I thought we would be meeting with him today."

"I'm afraid that's not possible" Mr Popo replied. "He's very ill at the moment so I will be here in his stead. Now, we need to discuss this army."

"A joint army?" the Raikage asked, looking to cause yet more trouble. "Why would we need one of those? I thought these Dragon Balls would resurrect fighters for us?"

"Finding these things isn't going to be a walk in the park" Jiraiya explained. "They are small and could be anywhere on the planet. If they aren't found by the time this invading force reaches us, we'll need to hold them off."

"Sounds like a good idea" the Tsuchikage said, to the surprise of everyone else. "We'll need to know about our enemy before we can plan though."

The Kage immediately turned to Mr Popo, expecting that his arrival would bring crucial Intel on their enemy.

"We don't know who is coming" Mr Popo admitted, "but we do know a little more information than before. There are five separate energies heading here and we believe that they will land in five separate locations, which I've marked on this map."

Mr Popo handed over a large map that had five black crosses marked on five different locations. The various marks were far apart and travelling to the different battlegrounds wouldn't be easy.

"Why would they do that?" Gaara asked, "that would put them at a disadvantage wouldn't it? Maybe they are having problems with their transportation."

"Perhaps" Jiraiya replied, "but we don't know why they're coming here so splitting up could be beneficial for them. In any case, this actually helps us a great deal as we now know how to divide our forces."

"So, do we just have one village fight at one location each?" the Mizukage, Mei, pondered aloud.

"That wouldn't be a wise decision," Gaara said softly.

"Why not?" Ay demanded and judging by his tone he seemed to be on the verge of destroying yet another desk. His bulking form looked very intimidating and he was usually able to take advantage of it to avoid opposition from people in his own village.

"Because we are supposed to be united!" Jiraiya shouted, dropping all pretence of the formality of the meeting. "Dividing ourselves like this is what has lead to all the hatred in this world and all of the unnecessary lives that have been lost. Can we please, just this once at least, all fight for a common cause?"

Silence followed Jiraiya's emotional plea, as the Kage considered his words.

"This is why you're not Hokage, Lord Jiraiya" Ay said. "You let your emotions take precedence over your mind. Sure, we all let anger get the best of us at times, but we would never make a decision based purely on that."

"Well, I'm glad I'm not a Kage then" Jiraiya countered, "because I'd rather live my life as an emotional failure than a dull success."

"In any case" Tsunade interjected, looking to stop a fight. "What Jiraiya said makes tactical sense. Each village specialises in different areas, so it's better to spread those talents around rather than keeping them all in one place."

"That does make sense" Onoki said, "all right, I'll agree to it. We should probably start making up divisions and generals at once. Now then, we only have one problem left that we can solve today. Who will be the leader of this army?"

"How about Mr Popo here?" Mei offered. "He's the only one that's impartial after all."

"Oh no" Mr Popo said, horrified at the very idea. "I'm not really the type, honestly. However, I would suggest that Lady Tsunade lead your forces."

"Why her?" Ay roared, annoyed that he had not been chosen.

"Well, of the three most experienced leaders here, she has been the most level headed throughout the proceedings" Mr Popo replied. "This battle will require someone who can keep you all united and she would be the best candidate for that."

"I agree with the motion," Gaara said immediately.

"As do I," Mei concurred, bringing any argument to a close.

The two remaining Kage didn't bother to voice their dissent, so the matter was closed. Tsunade was elected as the leader of the army.

"Now this has been decided" Tsunade began, filled with confidence. "We need to return to our villages and prepare immediately. We only have four days left and we must make them count!"

"They grant any wish you say?" Orochimaru asked, looking to make sure he heard everything correctly.

"That's right" Kabuto replied, "they've even been used to revive the dead in years gone by."

Orochimaru began to laugh wickedly as his foul plan took shape in his mind. However, the laughing was soon replaced with violent coughing and the Snake Sannin keeled over in pain. The coughing eventually subsided and blood became visible in his hand.

"The body is starting to reject you" Kabuto remarked, very concerned about his masters health. He poured a vile of medicine down Orochimaru's throat and the healing process began immediately. "The medical treatments will have to intensify from here."

"That creates quite the problem," Orochimaru hissed, as he struggled to breathe. "I won't be able to get my hands on those objects if I'm ill, especially if the entire Shinobi world is all after the same prize."

"Then I will go in your stead" Kabuto declared, as he bowed down in front of Orochimaru.

"No" was the harsh reply. "You're not strong enough Kabuto and besides, I'll need you with me while I fight this disease. Go get Sasuke, he'll do this for me."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Kabuto questioned. "He's-"

"Just do it!" Orochimaru screamed, which caused Kabuto to quickly run out the door. While he was sat alone, foul thoughts ran through his mind. His excitement grew rapidly as his deliciously evil plan took shape. A few minutes later, Kabuto returned with a disinterested Sasuke.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked, "I was sleeping you know."

"I have a mission for you" Orochimaru said, looking to draw Sasuke's attention. "It's very dangerous and could benefit both of us greatly."

"How could anything that you want interest me?" Sasuke replied, as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

Orochimaru went on to explain the situation with the Dragon Balls and outlined what Sasuke's mission would be. After he had finished, Sasuke still seemed uninterested.

"So you get your immortality, why should I care?" Sasuke said.

"Oh that's right, I forgot to mention," Orochimaru teased, "the Dragon Balls grant two wishes. I'll give the other one to you if you bring them to me."

A whole host of possibilities ran through Sasuke's mind as he contemplated what the Dragon Balls could do for him. He kept his face neutral as he made up his mind. After a minute, he turned back to Orochimaru.

"When do I start?"

Several cloaked figures stood in a circle inside a dark cave. Amongst them were some of the most powerful and dangerous Shinobi in the world. The organisation known as the Akatsuki had gathered to discuss the alarming change in events.

"So, that chakra was coming from space, huh?" a blond haired teenager asked.

"Yes Deidera" the man known only as Pain answered. "The Five Great Nations have gathered and are united in fighting the invaders.

"Surely that makes our job easier?" the sharklike Kisame said. "After all, if their villages are distracted the Jinchuriki should be more vulnerable to an attack and easier to reach?"

"Actually, it would be the opposite" a figure with blood red eyes responded. "The Jinchuriki are now spread out for some reason making them much harder to trace. Finding them has become much more difficult."

"Exactly, Itachi" Pain replied, "That is why we will wait and see what happens. If the villages repel the invaders it will not be without cost. That makes them far more susceptible and we can strike then."

"What if they don't win?" Itachi asked, with the question on everyone's lips.

"Then our job isn't even necessary at all," Pain answered, before dismissing the group.

Tsunade stood at the front of a large group of Shinobi with a scroll in her hand. She read out the numerous teams that comprised the Dragon Ball Retrieval Unit, who were all charged with the most important task in the war. It had been an exhausting effort to create the teams in such a short space of time, but the contributions of Shikaku Nara had made the process run much more smoothly.

"Team 16 will be made up of: Hinata Hyuga, Temari of the Sand, Kurotsuchi of the Stone, Omoi of the Cloud and Chojuro of the Mist. Please go over to Shizune who will brief you on the area that you have to search."

Tsunade watched the group move over and spotted Hinata look back over at the blonde boy in the corner. Of course, Tsunade knew that Hinata desperately wanted Naruto on her team, but she didn't allow it. Everyone had to focus on this mission and he would only serve as a distraction to her.

"Team 17 will be made up of: Neji Hyuga, Maki of the Sand, Kiri of the Mist, Ittan of the Stone, Tenga of the Cloud and Naruto Uzumaki of the Leaf."

Tsunade had been hesitant to read the last name on the list but in the end she knew that she had to. It had been the decided that the Jinchuriki, except for Gaara, would be split among the Retrieval Teams. It would be a disaster if they were to lose control on the battlefield and allow their tailed beasts to take control. They had a difficult enough task as it was and didn't need people form their own army turning on them.

Team 17 gathered around their map and read where they were to search.

"That's a very large area to look" Neji said, as he realised the enormity of the task that lay ahead. "I'm not sure it's even possible to cover such an area in only four days, never mind look for something."

"Well, you won't be travelling by foot" Shizune replied, as she searched for a scroll in the pile of papers in front of her. She had lost her usual sincerity and was strictly focused on the task at hand. "Ah yes, here we are. Sign this Summoning Contract, and then you're ready to go."

"A summoning contract?" Naruto asked, "for what? I already have one so I don't want to change now."

"Well, you won't have to sign it" Shizune answered, seemingly annoyed at the innocent question. "Only Neji will. We have an agreement with the Hawks to help us during our search, so the Hyuga member from each team signs a contract to summon them. The Dragon Balls should have such a strong chakra that you should be able to see them from the air. Now, sign the contract."

Neji did as instructed and the team then stood off to the side as the rest of the teams were assembled. After they were done, Tsunade addressed them all at once. They had already discussed the roles with the Hyuga clan previously, which made her duty here much more simple.

"You all know your duty to your village and to this world so I only have one thing left to say" Tsunade began. "Do not fail!"


	5. Arrival

Chapter 5: Arrival

"I see, so that's how they are finding the Dragon Balls" Goku said, having finally understood what King Kai had been explaining. The dead Saiyans and Piccolo had gathered around King Kai while he explained the entire situation. It soon became clear why their help was required.

"It's an unbelievable situation really" Piccolo said, "why would they go to earth now? It's been over a millennia since we were alive, you would have thought that kind of conflict would have died out by now."

"They were a strange race" King Kai added, "very unpredictable. They appeared to be rather innocent on first glance, but they secretly had dark intentions. In all honesty, I thought that they had died out by now."

"Well, it's a good job they didn't" Vegeta said, while he was stood with his arms folded. "Now, we'll get to be the one's that finish them off!"

"That's a horrible way of thinking!" Goku yelled. "That's the kind of mindset that Frieza took, which is what basically caused this mess. You really haven't changed in the last thousand years, have you?"

Vegeta just shrugged and grunted, which was all that could be expected from him. Goku continued to glare at his rival, whose attitude was starting to grate.

"Well, we should get back to training then" Gohan spoke, looking to ease the tension. "We need to be in top condition for when the time comes."

"Good idea" King Kai agreed, "Because these guys will desperate to fight you, especially you Vegeta."

"Good" the Saiyan Prince responded, as he stretched his muscles. "I just hope that they can give me a good enough workout."

"Neji, you seen anything yet?" Naruto asked, while shouting over the sound of the rushing wind.

"I already told you, I'll let you know when I do" Neji replied, having become frustrated at Naruto's constant questioning. "Remember, there's no guarantee that we'll even find one of them anyway. This task requires patience and calmness, both of which you are severely lacking."

_Jeez Neji, you didn't have to be so brutal _Naruto thought, as he pouted in protest. The team were flying high above the ground, with each member on the back of a different hawk. Neji was scanning beneath the earth's surface with his Byakugan, looking for a glimpse of the massive chakra in the shape of an orb underground.

"So, what about you guys?" Naruto said to the Shinobi from the other villages. "Are you not a little bored with this?"

Tenga of the Cloud Village gave Naruto a harsh look before giving him a short answer.

"We have a duty to complete this mission and we will see it through to its conclusion."

The sentiment was shared by the rest of the group, which left Naruto feeling rather left out. After another hour of searching, Neji cried out and brought his hands to his eyes.

"That's my limit," he said bitterly. "We need to land so I can rest my eyes for a while, we can continue this search in a few hours."

Most of the group seemed annoyed by Neji's need to rest but they followed his orders without protest. They were under strict orders to co-operate with the other villages, even though they still thought of them as sworn enemies. Eventually, they landed in the middle of a forest and their hawks left for some rest of their own. The group hastily set up a makeshift campsite, while Neji sat under a tree with his eyes closed. After a while the campsite was complete and there was even food being cooked over a fire. The only thing that was missing was a sense of camaraderie.

"Hey Neji" Naruto said softly, breaking the silent tension that had developed between them.

"What is it Naruto?" Neji asked, while keeping his eyes firmly closed.

"Do you think we have a chance?" Naruto said, shocking his teammate. After all, Naruto had always exuded confidence, so hearing him sound so unsure and worried was very disturbing.

"No, we don't" Kiri declared, before Neji could even react. "This is all a useless exercise, we'll be wiped out as soon as this force gets here."

Neji's eyes flipped open at this point and he focused his gaze on the Shinobi of the Mist.

"If you're so unconfident," Neji said "why are you here?"

Kiri shrugged unenthusiastically.

"I'm still a Shinobi at the end of the day" he replied, "its part of our duty to perform impossible tasks. Besides, the longer I stay off the battlefield, the longer I can cling on to life. Either way, our destiny was set the moment these invaders decided that they were coming here."

Neji let out a grunt of disapproval as he stood up and turned from the group.

"What a pathetic viewpoint to take" he spat, "we control our own destiny. If everybody gave up like you, this world would have been wiped out long before now."

Naruto stared proudly at his friend and realised just how much he had changed. Three years ago, he was the one giving him that speech and now the tables had turned. It gave him hope that Sasuke could be convinced the same way.

As soon as Neji had finished, a small carrier bird arrived and landed on his shoulder. He quickly took the letter the bird was carrying and read it hastily. A smile appeared on his face and he looked over to his team.

"One Dragon Ball has been found," he said happily, before biting his finger to draw blood. "Rest time is over, we need to continue our search."

Three more days passed and the powerful chakra continued to draw nearer. Five of the Dragon Balls had been gathered, which was an impressive feat. However, it was not enough and the prospect of war loomed large. Tsunade downed her third glass of sake and stared into the sky. Why was this happening to them and why now? All she knew for sure was that her Grandfather, the First Hokage, would have handled this situation much better than her.

Jiraiya then entered the room, which freed Tsunade from her mental torture. Despite having the terrifying prospect of battling an unknown foe hanging over his head, the Toad Sannin appeared to be in high spirits. It was a peculiar trait that Tsunade had always admired and it's calming influence was much appreciated that day.

"I might have known that you'd be here, sneaking a drink," Jiraiya teased, as he poured a glass for himself. "You always were one to stay out of trouble, probably why you make such a good medic."

Tsunade couldn't bring herself to join in with Jiraiya's optimism. The fact was that, in a matter of hours, she had to command the greatest army ever assembled against an unstoppable force. The very thought had her reaching for the bottle again. Jiraiya slapped her hand away and immediately switched to a sterner look.

"You have to keep your head" he said, "We need you to be focused to keep everything running smoothly."

"What about you?" Tsunade asked, "why is it okay for you to drink?"

"Inspiration" Jiraiya replied, finally showing the doubts that lay under the surface. "I'm going to be fighting on the front lines, so I need something to keep me going."

Jiraiya's words brought Tsunade intense feelings of guilt.

"It's not too late" she muttered, "I can still lead that division in your place. It's not fair that you always end up with the most dangerous assignments."

Jiraiya laughed off Tsunade's heartfelt offer as he finished his drink.

"That's what I'm here for" he said, "I'm the one who does the easy stuff such as the fighting while the smart ones like you can do the important things. It's the way of most men actually"

Jiraiya's words did little to ease Tsunade's fears.

"So, a man's responsibility is to be strong is it?" she asked, trying to keep the conversation going so she could ignore her thoughts.

"Pretty much" Jiraiya agreed, "then again, men aren't meant to pursue happiness in general so we have to do something useful. Now, Tsunade you know we have to go."

"I know" she sighed, as she slowly got off her seat. The two Sannin walked out of the cramped office and down the hallway, where they could hear a faint noise. The further they walked, the louder the noise became until they finally came to a clearing and stepped outside. The other Kage, who stood before an army that numbered 80,000, met them there. The army was split into five distinct divisions, with each division containing a variety of specialists.

"Incredible" Tsunade whispered, barely loud enough for the other Kage to hear. "To think that each of those divisions are going to be fighting just one person. It goes against all logic."

"Everything about this situation is illogical" Gaara said, "but we have to deal with the hand we've been dealt. After all, an intelligent Shinobi can adapt to any situation."

"Well said" Onoki cheered, as Tsunade moved up to address the force at large. The usually confident Hokage was panic stricken as she stared out at the endless mass of faces that stared back at her expectantly. She glanced over at Jiraiya, who gave her a wink in his usual, carefree style. The action brought a smile to her lips and inspired her to speak.

"This is a historic moment" she yelled, "For the first time in our history, all Shinobi are working together as one. We are united by a common goal to protect our planet and those we care about. Each and every one of you has a duty to this alliance and I know that you will not rest until you have fulfilled that duty. We are Shinobi, the elite and most powerful warriors of this planet. So lets show these bastards what we are made of!"

A loud cheer erupted from the group and morale jumped to an all time high. Jiraiya and the Kage went to join their divisions, but Tsunade pulled Jiraiya to one side before he could get there. She embraced him in a loving hug and whispered into his ear.

"You just make sure that you come back alive," she said, as she fought back the tears. This time, there were no jokes from Jiraiya who just nodded to her. With that, he joined his division and the army split up and went to their separate destinations. As Tsunade watched them leave, another carrier bird arrived. It told her that the fifth Dragon Ball had been found, meaning there was only two more left. It gave her faint hope that they could actually pull this off.

"All right! This is awesome, we've got the Dragon Ball!"

A heroic cheer went up between the group, as they hugged and some even kissed each other. The small orb was passed between the several men, who admired the strange and powerful object. The division of their villages was forgotten for just a moment, they had a great chance of surviving this now.

"Ok that's it!" they Hyuga of the group said, as he sent the message to headquarters that they had found a Dragon Ball. "At most, there should only be one left to find. So, let's get to it so we can end-"

He turned around to find his entire group collapsed on the ground. They were twitching slightly, and he could hear them struggling for breath. They were still alive but completely capable of moving. How could this have happened? Deciding to do his best to detect the enemy, he prepared to activate his Byakugan again. However, before he could he felt a stabbing pain in his back.

"I'll be taking that."

Jiraiya's division had an area that was reasonably close to the base, at least when compared to some of the other destinations. Knowing that they could reach their destination quick enough without having to expend too much energy, they moved towards their battlefield at a slow jog.

"Marching towards war again" a man next to Jiraiya sighed.

"Thought these days were behind you Kakashi? I thought you were smarter than that," Jiraiya teased.

"I'm glad that I'm not" Kakashi joked, trying to keep the mood high. "Although this one will be more interesting than the last at least."

"Can you please stop?"

A Hidden rock Shinobi had nervously shouted out towards the two of them. He was young, in many other civilizations he would have been far too young to see war. Yet here he was, marching to what was most probably a horrible death. Neither Kakashi nor Jiraiya bothered saying anything more.

They reached their destination within a couple of hours, and then stood to attention and waited. With each passing minute, the foul and intense chakra seemed to grow stronger. Chatter occasionally broke out between members of the division but most of the time the warriors remained stoic and silent. Finally, the feeling peaked and a bright light became visible in the sky.

"I guess this is it" Kakashi said, as he walked up to Jiraiya once more.

"I guess it is" Jiraiya replied, as he bit his finger to draw blood. He marked the blood under his eyelids and connected the rings to the lines already on his face. At each battlefield, and at the Shinobi Alliance Headquarters, every Shinobi watched as the objects became closer. Eventually, the method of transport the enemy was using became visible. It appeared to be a metal orb that was just about big enough to fit a person. The five ships landed roughly one kilometre from each of the battlefields, where they made a large crater in the ground.

There was an ominous pause as the ships remained still and no sign of life revealed itself. However, the powerful chakra emanating from them was enough to assure any doubters that the invaders had arrived. After what seemed like an age, the ships doors slowly opened and the passengers that sat inside all got out.

The five life forms that emerged all varied slightly in size and general appearance, but they all shared some characteristics. They appeared to be humans and all were white and muscular. They had either blonde or brown hair and wore distinctive battle armour. Over their left eye was a glass object of differing colours, known as a scouter, which was clipped to their ear. The warriors then put their hands to their scouters to converse with each other. Their voices were all similar and they spoke with robotic like accents.

_Is this it? The description we had of this planet was quite different. _

_Yes, the course was plotted correctly. _

_According to my ship, this is the right location._

_Interesting._

_What's this? It seems a large number of the locals have arrived at my location._

_It's the same situation here. _

_Are any of them Saiyans?_

_Negative, their power levels appear to be too low. _

_How should we proceed?_

_We attack. _

_Agreed._

_We will force them to tell us where the Saiyans are. _

_Once we know, we are to kill them all._


	6. Out of Time?

**A/N: I just wanted to say thanks to everyone that's reading this and to everyone who has reviewed so far. I wasn't sure if this was going to get past a first chapter but thanks to you guys I've continued it. Anyway, hope you've enjoyed this so far and that you will enjoy it in the future.**

Chapter 6: Out of Time?

"Damn it" Goku muttered, while he watched the events unfold through King Kai. "Just hang in there guys, we'll be there soon."

"Typical earthlings" Vegeta spat, as he continued to observe events. "They can't do anything for themselves. How many times have we had to watch an army of these fools march to their deaths?"

"What was that?" a shrill voice yelled, as a purple haired woman marched over. "Did I just here you bad mouthing earthlings again, Vegeta?"

"No, you must be hearing things" Vegeta mumbled, while avoiding eye contact with his wife. _Sometimes I regret convincing Grand Kai to let you stay here. _

"This is no time to be arguing" Gohan said, "We just have to make sure that we're ready when the time comes. We just need to hope that those guys down on earth can hold out long enough until we get there."

"Surely they will?" Gohan's wife Videl asked, with her hands closed together in prayer.

"Who knows" Piccolo replied despondently. "Is there anything they can do against such power?"

Jiraiya walked forward nervously, he could feel his hands shaking as he did so. He had to steady his emotions while he made his way towards the terrifying enemy that had appeared before them. His mysterious armour and the confidence with which he stood before an army of 16,000 was unnerving and Jiraiya didn't know if he could summon the courage to even speak.

"Who is this Jiraiya?" the toad on his left shoulder asked.

"Well, hopefully I'm about to find out" Jiraiya replied, as he stopped in his tracks and prepared to give the speech that the commanders had prepared in advance. He took a moment to deliver his lines.

"On behalf of the people of this planet" Jiraiya shouted, in his most serious voice. "I demand that you state who you are and what your purpose is."

The man refused to even acknowledge Jiraiya's presence and continued to scan the area with his green scouter. At the other battlefields, the same scenario took place. Despite their appearance, the invaders acted more like machines than they did human, completely devoid of all noticeable emotion . After half a minute, another conversation took place between them.

_They must be hiding them; it's the only logical explanation. _

_That means we have to attack them. _

_Although, it will be difficult to not accidentally kill them._

_Indeed, they are completely outclassed. _

_How about we send the Cybermen into battle?_

_That would be interesting to see._

_Agreed, we shall proceed with this plan._

The man reached into a secret compartment within his armour and pulled out a large handful of large metallic balls.

"What's that?" the elder toad asked, a hint of mystery in his voice.

"I don't know" Jiraiya replied, "But I don't want to get in the way of that!"

Jiraiya jumped backwards as the small projectiles made their way towards him. His speed had increased dramatically and it impressed the gathered Shinobi. However, they had a much bigger problem in the shape of the weapons that had just been thrown.

"How about we even the numbers a little?" the invader yelled, as he pressed a button on his scouter. Suddenly, metal shapes began to sprout out of the ground at a quick rate and quickly took the general shape of a human.

"What the hell is that?" Kakashi asked, without expecting an answer.

"They're what we call Cybermen, not that I would expect you to understand" was the cocky reply, as the invader began to show a vindictive personality. "We developed them from a similar being that existed long ago. They aren't quite as powerful as those former creations but they are easier to use and should be more than a match for you."

Finally, the Cybermen were complete and a small army of them stood waiting to attack. Their appearance was unique, in that they didn't really have one at all. They had only the outline of a body, with no facial features. In a way, they resembled a mannequin and stood around 6 feet tall. Despite their plain appearance, each and every Shinobi present knew that they were faced with powerful opponents.

"I guess this has happened at every battle, they're just toying with us," Jiraiya said, before he turned to the group gathered behind him. The mass of Shinobi mostly contained youthful faces, representatives of a generation that had never seen war. Just a week before, everything was fine in their world. Now, it appeared likely that almost all of them would die. Jiraiya couldn't help but sigh and reflect on the mess that they were in. As he scanned the faces, he could tell what they were thinking. They knew that they were marching to their deaths and there wasn't much that they could do about it. Jiraiya turned back towards the faceless enemy army, which stood motionless and menacing.

"There isn't much left to say really" Jiraiya said, addressing his forces. "We all know what we're getting in to, so there's no point with some motivational speech. However, I will tell you one thing. If we die here, then we take these bastards with us!"

A cry went up all over the planet, as all of the Shinobi at each battleground charged towards their opponents. Taijutsu barrages and Ninjutsu attacks collided with the Cybermen, with some having more effects than others. Spurred on by their will to live and their belief in each other, they continued their assault despite the overwhelming odds.

Several cries of anguish could be heard in the air, as the rookies had to watch their comrades perish. Splatters of blood flew all around and the sound of breaking bones littered the air.

"Don't dwell on it" Gai could be heard yelling, as he did his best to combat one of the Cybermen alone. "You kids need to learn that you'll witness your comrades die on the battlefield. You just need to keep going, or you'll end up the same way."

Jiraiya kicked away an enemy that Kakashi had been struggling against, before turning to his comrade.

"Kakashi, how long will it take to prepare that attack?" Jiraiya asked desperately.

"About another minute" Kakashi responded, as he closed his Sharingan eye. "I was able to prepare most of it before we started, I don't need long now."

"I'll hold these off for you then" Jiraiya declared, as he zoomed around and knocked away every enemy that tried to attack. Up above them, the invader noticed a rising power level on his scouter.

"This is interesting," he said, as he studied the source of the disturbance.

"Tello? What's happening?" a voice called out over the scouter.

"A rising power concentrated in the eye" Tello replied, "I've never seen that before. In fact, it's quite a rapid increase."

Tello spent the next few minutes concentrating on Kakashi, just waiting for the inevitable attack. Finally, he noticed the eye open and the power level stopped rising.

"That's disappointing, the power is so low" Tello sighed, as he stood cross-armed. Then, he felt a strange feeling in his torso and panicked as he looked down.

"What is this?" he cried, before trying to jump out of the way. However, he was only able to dodge the torso attack and found that his leg was stuck.

"I can't move it" Kakashi said, his voice strained. "No matter how hard I try, I can't get it to move up towards a more vital organ. I guess I'll just have to take this!"

There was a sickening crack as Tello's leg was broken from his body and he cried out in pain. Kakashi almost fell to the ground, tired out from his use of his Mangekyo Sharingan. However, it felt like it was worth it. He had caused damage to their enemy and had at least given them a small opportunity.

"That's slightly impressive" Tello said, while revealing a devilish smile. "However, it's not good enough."

Tello yelled out in pain, before a completely new leg sprouted from the stump that had been left behind. There was an audible gasp from those watching and all sense of hope was lost.

"The Namekians" Tello declared loudly. "What an amazing race of people."

"Come on Neji" Naruto yelled, "Can't you see anything?"

"Shut up Naruto" Neji responded, no longer trying to be polite. Tension filled the air between the several members of the group while Neji continued his search. They knew that the battle must have started and the situation was getting desperate.

Neji scanned the ground below him, unable to see anything all that interesting. It was all plain, just a mixture of dirt and sand. However, after a few more minutes he saw something else. A bright blue ball of chakra, shining brighter than anything he had ever seen before.

"Wait" Neji said, "I think that's it. I think I found it!"

The team quickly landed to the designated spot and allowed Neji to get a more detailed look. They were in the middle of an open field, with a few trees dotted around the area. Some of group even prayed, as they knew how desperate the situation was.

"We need to dig" Neji declared, before turning to the group. "We need to dig, now!"

The team set to work, and dirt was thrown rapidly all around them. However, progress was still slow as the Dragon Ball was buried very deep into the ground. 

"We need to hurry this up," Neji gasped, as he continued to smash the rock that was in the way.

"Well then, stand back and let me take care of it" Naruto yelled, while he stood on top of a nearby tree. "I have a way to get down there in no time!"

Naruto created a Rasengan and then jumped off the tree and towards the ground. He then smashed his attack into the floor and completely destroyed the earth. He had made an impressive hole, but he couldn't find that all-important orange sphere.

"How close am I Neji?" Naruto asked, as he stared into the dirt.

"Close, I'll help you" Neji replied, as he joined Naruto inside the hole. They spent the next few minutes smashing through the earth, until they were finally rewarded with the sight of a small orange orb with four stars on it. Naruto picked it up and held it in his hand, amazed by what they had found.

"All this effort, for something so small" he said, while transfixed with it.

"We have no time for this" Neji declared, taking charge once again. Naruto frowned slightly at Neji's harsh tone but knew that he was right. "We have to get this back to the headquarters as soon as possible. Let's go."

Neji jumped out of the earth and was followed by Naruto just seconds later. They stood on opposite sides of the hole, before Naruto started rubbing his eyes.

"I didn't realise how much dirt got in there," Naruto moaned, as he rubbed his eyes viciously. When he opened them, Neji, with his Byakugan active, was staring back at him with a face full of rage.

"You" he spat, while he shook in anger.

"What?" Naruto asked, taken by surprise at Neji's sudden change in attitude. "Neji what are you-"

That was when he felt it, the cool chill of the blade as it stroked his neck. He realised that Neji wasn't look at him; he was looking through him to the person behind.

"Give me that thing now and I'll consider not killing you" a deep voice demanded, as he pressed the blade even deeper into Naruto's skin, creating a small cut and drawing blood.

"I can't believe you've fallen this far," Naruto said, fighting back the tears as he did. "How could you do this, Sasuke?"


	7. Desperation

Chapter 7: Desperation

A sickening splutter came from the nearby room and the mere sound of it caused Mr Popo to sprint to the bedside of the small Namekian who made it. Dende's skin colour had drastically faded in the last week and he had been confined to his bed the entire time. He could no longer walk or feed himself and he had lost the ability to speak.

Despite all of that, the situation was harder on Mr Popo. He and Dende had lived in isolation for the past two thousand years, comforted each other through a near apocalypse and watched as everything they had known and loved was destroyed and rebuilt in a completely different way. Now, as Dende's life faded in front of his eyes, Mr Popo could only think back to the terrified child that had come to replace Kami all that time ago. He remembered how he would stand at the edge of the lookout, overwhelmed at the size of the planet that he was charged with taking care of. Every now and then, Mr Popo expected to see that little boy come running into the room, eager to ask a question about his duties. However, he knew that it wouldn't happen. Dende had ceased being that naïve child years before and had taken on a much more sorrowful outlook. Despite everything that he had done for the planet in the wake of Broly's destruction, Dende saw himself as nothing more than a failure. He had often lamented how he wasn't able to protect the planet and that everything was his fault. Mr Popo never believed a word of it but he had never been able to convince Dende of this.

Heartbroken, Mr Popo made his way over to the bed and took the seat that had been his vigil. He held Dende's wrinkled hand and squeezed it, hoping for a response. All that he could feel was a weak pulse and it seemed that Dende could no longer recognise the presence of another person. Realising that they may be his last words to him, Mr Popo edged closer to his stricken master. He tried his best to fight back the tears in his eyes, but the cracking of his voice betrayed him.

"Hang on in there Dende" he sobbed. "They still haven't summoned the dragon, you need to stay alive. It's time for you to show that you are not the failure you say you are. Please Dende, can you just hang on?"

A few seconds after he finished speaking, Mr Popo felt the faintest amount of pressure as the frail green hands squeezed back as hard as they could.

"As easy as it was to repair " Tello shouted, looking to frighten the gathered forces. "I am quite annoyed at how much damage you were able to inflict upon me. I will make you regret that by causing you the most pain that you have ever felt in your miserable and insignificant life."

In the blink of an eye, Tello had zoomed in front of Kakashi. Even with his Sharingan, he hadn't been able to track his movements at all. That one action displayed the difference in their powers and Kakashi knew that he was completely outmatched. Before he could even move, Tello struck Kakashi in the stomach. The hit had been so casual, a mere flick of the wrist that was nothing more than a glancing blow. However, it caused Kakashi to fly metres backwards and land in a heap on the ground. The damage to his body was intense and he could barely stand up again.

"_I have just about one more shot with the Mangekyo" _Kakashi thought, as he just about struggled to his feet. _"If I can time it right, I might be able to take him out."_

Jiraiya then moved in front of Kakashi, protecting him from the view of Tello. He stared down the enemy with no fear, despite the enormous disadvantage he was at.

"Oh look, the army's general has come to face me," Tello snorted, as he flicked his blonde hair out of his eyes. "Obviously, you are in some kind of hurry to die. Why else would you stupidly stand before me like this?"

Jiraiya smirked at the taunts, which caused even more confusion among the nearby Shinobi.

"I bet I'm not the only captain to confront the enemy head on" Jiraiya began, while thinking of the other Kage who had no doubt entered the fray on their respective battlefields. "I'm not sure why we do it, maybe we're just idiots."

"Maybe, we enjoy the fight too much" Ay said, while charging up a shroud of electricity around him as he prepared to attack the warrior on his battlefield.

"Maybe we're too eager to die for our comrades" Gaara said, as he rode his sand into the air to join the battle.

"Maybe we know that the next generation can handle things for us" Onoki declared, as he powered up an attack.

"Maybe, we feel we have some sort of duty to act" Mei laughed, as she finished making her hand signs.

"Whatever it is" Jiraiya continued, "There's one thing that remains constant."

"Which is?" Tello asked enjoying the passionate speech that Jiraiya was giving him.

"We are Shinobi" Jiraiya roared, "And we will not stop fighting until our last breath!"

Naruto glanced to the side and, to his horror, he saw the bodies of his teammates scattered around him. He couldn't tell if they were dead or if Sasuke had just knocked them out. Whichever it was, just the sight was enough to cause Naruto to feel the rise of the Nine Tails power. He did his best to contain it, as he knew the consequences of letting the beast take over.

"I won't ask you again" Sasuke spat, as he dug the sword a little deeper into Naruto's neck. He could feel a small amount of blood trickle down onto his collar and a small amount of fear came over him. For the first time, he believed that Sasuke might kill him.

"We need this Sasuke, the whole world is in danger" Naruto screamed desperately.

"Like I care about your petty problems" Sasuke replied. "I have my own goals and they have nothing to do with some war you have going on."

"It's pointless Sasuke!" Naruto yelled back. "You need the other six balls along with it for it to be any use. You have nothing to gain out of this!"

"The other six?" Sasuke asked, feigning confusion. "Oh, you mean these?"

Sasuke reached to a small black sack that he had attached to his belt and he held it aloft. Six small lumps in the fabric were clearly visible, which indicated one thing.

"_How did he get all of the other Dragon Balls?" _Naruto wondered, suddenly scared for the other teams. However, he didn't have long to dwell on it as a vacuum of air smashed into Naruto's stomach and forced both him and Sasuke to fly backwards. The attack had obviously caught Sasuke off guard too, as he dropped the valuable Dragon Balls on the ground. Neji had already made his move at this point and he picked up all seven Dragon Balls and placed Naruto behind him.

"I was waiting for him to unclip those from his belt. Now, take these" Neji demanded, as he forced the small orange orbs into Naruto's arms. "I'll hold off Sasuke, you need to make that wish."

"Wait, Neji I-" Naruto began, before being cut off.

"Just do it!" Neji shouted back, as Sasuke got to his feat. Naruto ran a few metres back and placed the balls on the ground in front of him. To his horror, they did nothing but emit a slight orange glow.

"Oh no you don't!" Sasuke cried, as he attempted to jump over Neji and towards Naruto. Neji had other ideas and used his Rotation to force Sasuke backwards.

"Why go over there, when your main challenge is here?" Neji asked, showing a cocky side that he usually tried to repress.

"Fine, but I won't bother sparing you like I did the rest" Sasuke rasped, as he quickly picked up his katana from the ground. "You are in my way when I'm so close to my objective, I can't afford to play nice."

With his Sharingan active and his blood running high, Sasuke charged at Neji. As they fought a vicious battle, Naruto stared hopelessly at the lifeless balls in front of him. They weren't supposed to be granting the wish, so the teams were never told what to do. He placed his arms in front of him and started saying whatever came to his head.

"I demand that you grant my wish!" he cried, which brought no reaction whatsoever. "Please grant my wish? I beg you to grant my wish?"

He went on for another two minutes trying different combinations of words, even bowing at one point, but it was to no avail. This was made even worse by the fact that Neji was crying out in pain as he struggled to contain Sasuke.

"What do I do?" Naruto screamed out, not expecting an answer.

"You're not saying it right," a voice said in Naruto's head. It was a voice Naruto had never heard before and it was enough to cause him to jump.

"Who the hell are you?" Naruto called out, while looking all around him. "Where are you? How are you doing this?"

"Too many questions kid" the voice called back. "We don't have time for this. All I'll tell you is that you have to say is these words: Eternal Dragon, by your name I summon you forth Shenron."

Naruto was sceptical about trusting the words of a strange voice inside his head. However, with time running out he had no other choice.

"Ok, so it was Eternal Dragon" Naruto began, trying hard to remember what he had been told just ten seconds before. "By your name I summon you forth." It was at this point that Naruto froze. What was the name he had to say again?

"Say Shenron!" the now frustrated voice screamed.

"Shenron!" Naruto cried, while staring intently at the balls. Suddenly, they began glowing even brighter than before, bright enough to almost blind him. The sky immediately turned as black as night and a swirl of light shot up from the pile of Dragon Balls. A loud whooshing noise filled the air as the light screamed upwards into the sky. Eventually, the light spread out across the sky and formed the shape of a dragon. After another couple of seconds, the light materialised into a green beast. The deep red eyes of the dragon shone menacingly and stared right at a terrified Naruto. Inside of him, the Nine Tails growled at the appearance of this new beast. It seemed that, for the first time, the Demon Fox had encountered something with power that surpassed it's own.

"State your wish" the dragon bellowed, it's deep voice echoing across the entire area.

"What do I say?" Naruto asked, suddenly trusting the voice in his head.

As Naruto spoke with this voice, Sasuke and Neji stared at the dragon in awe. Due to their dojutsu, they could appreciate the power before them much more than Naruto.

"All that chakra" Neji gasped, stunned at the size and nature of it. "I can't even describe what it's like, it has no resemblance to any kind of chakra I've ever seen before."

Sasuke was then drawn to Naruto and he noticed that his lips were moving. He realised that he must have been making a wish, which caused him to take action. In one swift attack, he broke free of Neji's confinements and ran towards Naruto and the dragon. Before he could get there, the light in Shenron's eyes noticeably disappeared. The dragon remained silent for a few seconds, before exploding in a mass of green light. The Dragon Balls turned to stone and Naruto looked around desperately.

"It didn't work?" he asked, getting no reply from the voice in his head. He knew that he said the right words for the wish, so what happened?

"You broke it?" Sasuke asked, furious at his former teammate. "Once again Naruto, you stand in the way of my goals. Except this time, you went too far. Now, I have no chance of ever seeing them again. Naruto, this is all your fault!"

With pain in his eyes and a Chidori glowing from his hand, Sasuke attacked a defenceless Naruto. Naruto didn't have time to react and Neji was too far away to help. Yet, before the Chidori could connect Sasuke was stopped. A hand covered by a white glove grabbed Sasuke's wrist and the Chidori dispersed instantly. Sasuke stared at the hand for a second and then brought his eyes up a muscular arm and past a sleeveless blue shirt. He then stared into a pair of cold, black eyes that were not unlike Sasuke's. The man then spoke, his deep voice twisted into a mocking tone that seemed so natural.

"Well, this is an interesting welcome" he said dryly, as he gripped Sasuke's wrist even tighter.


	8. The Saviours Arrive

Chapter 8: The Saviours Arrive

Sasuke desperately tried to pull his arm away from the man's tight grip but his efforts were in vain. It was like being caught in a vice and no matter how much he tried, he knew that sheer force wouldn't help him.

"Fine, if that's the way you want to play it" Sasuke grinned, before adapting a more serious face. "Chidori Stream!"

Waves of electricity shot out of Sasuke's body and completely covered his opponent. Sasuke laughed wildly as he waited for the inevitable scream of pain and for his chance to break free. However, such an opportunity never came and the man seemed rather indifferent about Sasuke's attack.

"That tickled slightly," he mocked, before clamping down on Sasuke's hand further. The young Uchiha screamed out in pain and begged his captor to stop.

"Vegeta!" another voice called out. "We're not here to pick fights with the people that we're supposed to be helping. Let him go, we're wasting time here."

Vegeta shrugged and casually threw his victim towards the nearby trees. Sasuke yelled out in pain and lay slumped on the floor. The sheer ease with which he had been dealt with was alarming and let him know that these guys were not to be messed with.

"So, you're the guys?" Naruto stammered, unsure if they had successfully resurrected their fighters of if the enemy had found them.

"We sure are" the man in the orange gi replied, giving a reassuring thumbs up. "I'll introduce you to every one!"

The next minute or so was spent making introductions, as the Z fighters spoke with Naruto and Neji, the first Shinobi that they had ever seen.

"What happened to the Dragon then?" Neji asked, curious about the exact mechanisms behind the mythical objects. "Does it do that every time?"

Everyone bar Naruto shifted uncomfortably at the question as they came to terms with what the Dragon's disintegration meant.

"The Dragons dead" Piccolo sighed, as he stared up into the sky. "That means that Dende is gone as well."

A moment of silence followed Piccolo's statement, as the team gave their last respects to the little Namekian that had saved them in their time of need. Predictably, this silence was broken by an annoyed Vegeta.

"Something's wrong here" he growled, as he stared at his hands in disgust. "I should be-"

Without any warning, Vegeta let out a tremendous roar and was covered in a white aura. The earth around him was torn up and a giant gust of wind knocked the two Shinobi to the ground. Neji activated his Byakugan and let out a terrified yell.

"What is this?" he asked, not expecting to get an answer. "I can't even describe what I'm seeing right now! It's not quite chakra but it has similar properties and he has no chakra paths anywhere on his body. The only thing I know for sure is that, whatever he is outputting, is enormous!"

Mercifully, Vegeta eventually let up and powered back down to his normal state. If Naruto and Neji had any doubts about the fighters' powers they had evaporated in that moment. Victory appeared to be a matter of hours away and relief spread throughout their bodies. Yet, the looks that the Z fighters gave were a concern.

"Now that you mention it, I don't feel right either" Goten said, as he clenched his fists. "I feel so much-"

"Weaker" Gohan finished, as he placed his chin between his thumb and index finger to help him think. "Why would we be-"

"Namek! I demand that you tell us what happened" Vegeta yelled, adding a sense of anger to an already tense situation. "Where has all that ki that I had just five minutes ago gone to?"

"_Ki?" _Neji thought, picking up on Vegeta's words. _"So, that's what it was. Our chakra is made up of both our ki and our spiritual energy, which is why it seemed a little familiar. How strange, being able to split up the two types of energy in your body in such a way."_

"Dende must have been very weak when the Dragon was summoned" Piccolo began, sounding slightly unsure about his explanation. "It takes a lot of energy to revive people who have been dead as long as us. My guess is that the Dragon died before we were fully revived, meaning that most of our energy was left behind so to speak. I can't be sure though as this is a very strange situation."

"So what, are you saying that you won't be able to do it?" Naruto asked, having understand the basic concept of the discussion even if he didn't get most of what was being said.

"Nah, we should still be able to do it" Goku replied cheerily. "Except now, we might actually get a bit of challenge out of this!"

"How can you be so casual, Kakarot?" Vegeta yelled. "We're down to a small fraction of our power that we spent centuries trying to attain!"

Goku simply shrugged his shoulders and let out another chuckle.

"It's not like we won't have all of eternity to get it back again" he reasoned. "Besides, if we fought these guys at full power it would be over in seconds. At least now we can have an interesting battle."

Naruto and Neji's jaws dropped at this point, as they listened to the way that their so-called saviours talked about life and death battles as if they were a game. It seemed that self-enjoyment mattered as much as victory and Neji was considering calling them out on it, although the size of Vegeta's power made him think twice.

"We can talk about this later" Gohan said, interrupting an argument that had begun between Vegeta and Piccolo. "The longer we spend here, the more Shinobi that die."

"You're right Gohan, as usual" Goku conceded, although he didn't sound bitter about it. "So, we all know which battle we're going to right?"

Gohan, Piccolo and Vegeta nodded their confirmation but Goten and Trunks stood around looking embarrassed.

"The thing is" Goten began, before losing confidence at the sight of Piccolo's disapproving gesture. Trunks then took over.

"When you were explaining all of this, that warrior girl from the Southern galaxy walked past and-"

Vegeta gave his son a swift hit to the back of the head, which stopped him in his tracks. It took another minute to explain which battlefield the youngest members of the group were going to and which direction they had to head in.

"What about us?" Naruto asked, reminding the Z fighters that he and Neji were still there. "We want to go with you."

"What for? You're completely outclassed in power," Vegeta said bluntly. "We're handling things from here kid, you should just go home."

"Our friends are out there! We can't just sit back while they give their all!" Naruto yelled, no longer frightened at Vegeta's power.

The Z fighters then turned to Goku, who predictably had a sympathetic look on his face. The truth was that none of them wanted to bring the young Shinobi along with them but if any of them were to fold it would be Goku.

"Fine, you can come with me" Goku said, allowing his emotions to override his head once again. "I'm probably the best to take you anyway, I doubt that you'd be able to handle the speed that we can fly at."

Naruto and Neji shot each other a rather sceptical look. If they weren't going to fly, how were they going to get there?

"Ok then, so all you need to do is touch my arm" Goku explained, as he placed two fingers on his forehead and adopted a look of concentration. "We'll be there in less than a second."

"_Some kind of space time ninjutsu?" _Neji thought, as he tentatively placed his hand on Goku's shoulder. _"Wait, do we even call what they do ninjutsu? This is just too bizarre."_

"Wait, what about Sasuke?" Naruto asked, just a second before they were about to leave. Goku shot a look at Piccolo, who had been eyeing the sulking child the entire time that they had been there. Piccolo gave an unenthusiastic nod, which confirmed Goku's suspicions.

"Don't worry about him" Goku replied. "It'll be taken care of."

With that, Goku disappeared in the blink of an eye. Wasting no time, Trunks quickly took to the air.

"Hey Goten, last one to get there is a giant slug! No offence Piccolo!" Trunks joked, before taking off at top speed to avoid Piccolo's wrath. Goten did the same, which left just three warriors still standing in the middle of the small field.

"May as well just get this over with then" Vegeta moaned, before kicking off the ground and entering the air. Gohan then turned to Piccolo, before he too began to hover in the air.

"Hey Piccolo, our battles are in the same direction. You want to fly there together?" he asked.

"No, you go on ahead kid" he replied, with his eyes still focused on Sasuke. "I'll leave in another minute."

Gohan shrugged his shoulders, before setting off. As he flew he glanced back to see Piccolo slowly walk over to Sasuke and such a sight caused Gohan to chuckle. As much as he denied it, Piccolo just couldn't help himself.

Piccolo towered over Sasuke, who remained slumped against a tree and staring at the ground.

"Shouldn't you be off saving the world by now?" Sasuke mumbled, a hint of resentment in his voice.

The Namekian wasn't impressed with the boy's attitude and he quickly pulled him to his feet and forced him to look into his eyes. To Piccolo's surprise, Sasuke didn't show a hint of fear at Piccolo's show of dominance. In fact, he acted as if nothing had happened at all.

"Why didn't you ask to go fight?" Piccolo enquired. "Why don't you want to go and help your comrades?"

"Comrades? I abandoned that a long time ago" Sasuke muttered, as he stared at Piccolo blandly. "I couldn't care less about them, all I care about is accomplishing my goal."

Piccolo stared into Sasuke's eyes for the next few seconds, trying to work the boy out. All that stared back at him was years of pain and sorrow. He didn't know Sasuke's story or what had caused him to be like this. However, he didn't care and he knew that anyone could be saved. In one swift movement, Piccolo kicked off the ground and flew into the air, taking Sasuke with him. This brought a reaction from the brooding Uchiha, who screamed like a child.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded, as he was being held by the scruff of his neck and travelling through the air at speeds he thought were impossible.

"I don't have time to waste, so I thought that I'd kill two birds with one stone" Piccolo replied. "So, how about we start with why you've turned out this way."

"You know, you remind me of someone" Sasuke began, thinking back to what seemed a lifetime ago, when he had at least one person he could actually talk to. "Unfortunately for you, I got away from him and I'll do the same to you."

Sasuke grabbed a kunai and cut the scruff of the shirt that Piccolo was holding on to. As he fell through the air, Sasuke activated his Cursed Seal and flew away in the opposite direction. Piccolo considered going back to get him but simply decided that it wasn't worth it. If he had any time later, he might try to do something then.

"For someone who's from such a weak race, you're not that bad. Still, you're just an ant compared to me."

Gaara cried out in pain as his sand defence was broken once again and the enemy he was facing delivered a hard blow to his stomach. He had been battling the blonde haired man alone for five minutes and most of that time had been spent on just trying to survive. He had been given hope when the sky suddenly turned dark a couple of minutes before but the lack of news since then had him worried.

Suddenly, a huge wave of sand flew out from the desert beneath them and wrapped itself around the man. Gaara smiled, it appeared that his enemy's cockiness had got the better of him.

"Sand Burial!"

Rather than the sickening sound of crunching bones and the horrific sight of blood being squeezed from the body, the sand appeared to have no effect whatsoever. It simply dripped from the man's body, placid and lifeless.

"I guess that's all you've got, isn't it?" the man taunted, feigning disappointment. "Well, I'm quite bored with you now, so I'll just finish you off right here."

He then menacingly raised his arm and pointed his open hand straight at Gaara. A small ball of yellow light appeared in his palm and glowered at the young Kazekage.

"Time to-"

The scouter over the man's right eye began beeping loudly and yellow text flashed at a rapid pace.

"Who is this?" he asked out loud and focused his eyes on the man that flew in from the sky. Vegeta landed on the sandy desert in dramatic fashion, with an excited smile on his face.

"Sorry to keep you waiting" he said.

"Judging from that power level, it seems that you've finally come out of hiding Saiyan," the man replied. "Did the guilt over allowing these weaklings to die for you finally shame you enough to reveal yourself?"

Vegeta shrugged off the attempted insult with his typical sneer and tried his best not to look at the dead bodies that littered the desert.

"I can't believe you're trying to mock me over doing something shameful" Vegeta shot back. "After all, what you all did was shameful itself. Isn't that right, Tuffle?"


	9. Unforeseen Complications

Chapter 9: Unforseen Complications

"Lord Gaara, what should we do?"

It took Gaara a few seconds before he even acknowledged his subordinates question. He just stood transfixed, overawed at the dramatic events unfolding before him.

"This battle has been taken out of our hands" Gaara responded, before turning back to the gathered forces. "We must focus all of our attention on defeating these metallic creations before us, this guy is way out of our league."

Standing just 50 feet away, Vegeta heard the conversation while continuing with his stare down.

"_At least these fools know their place," _he thought, smirking as he contemplated his superiority.

Seeing an opening, the Tuffle dived towards Vegeta in an attempt to attack. However, he had not accounted for Vegeta's speed, which was more than enough to simply dodge the strike and knock his opponent away. The Tuffle was back where he started and was quickly feeling frustrated.

"What do you think you know about us?" he spat, as he wiped a small amount of blood from his lip.

"Everything actually" Vegeta shot back. "Your ancestors were nothing but cowards, sneaking away from the planet as my father and the Saiyans killed the rest of your race. What's worse, you've been sulking away in some god-forsaken hellhole of a planet for the millennia, cowering in fear. Then to top it all off, you spent the time experimenting on other species in some ridiculous attempts to improve yourselves instead of simply training. You're all pathetic and would have been better of dead than being confined to this fate."

Vegeta's verbal attack seemed to have some effect; the Tuffle simply stared at the ground with his blond hair covering his eyes. He then reached up and grabbed his scouter from his eye and held it by his side.

"Your father?" he asked, without getting a response. "If your father was the one who attacked us, then that must mean that you are the Saiyan Prince Vegeta."

Vegeta didn't bother to reply and simply allowed his opponent to continue with his speech.

"I don't know how your still alive but I don't care. I will have the chance to avenge our people and destroy the one's who were really responsible!"

He then crushed the scouter in his hand and jumped into the air. He clenched his fists and pulled his arms back towards his body. He then let out a horrifying scream, sounding like as if he was in pain. As he yelled out, he was surrounded by a see-through aura and the ground beneath him began to shake. Huge gusts of wind appeared to emanate from his body, with enough force to make Vegeta brace himself. Gaara reacted quickly and raised the sand in the area so that his comrades wouldn't feel the effects.

Vegeta retained a calm composure on the outside, casually raising his arm in order to block the incoming wind. However, his thoughts betrayed his true feelings.

"_It's so frustrating! If I had all of the power I had gained in Otherworld, this guy would be smaller than an ant to me. Yet, now he presents an actual threat . I can't take my chances with this one, I'll have to transform right from the start."_

Wasting no more time, Vegeta yelled out and instantly transformed. He was covered by a bright light, which reflected the new colour of his hair. Small bolts of lightning flickered around his body and his muscles bulged under the pressure of the power that they had to handle.

Both warriors flew towards each other at speeds that the Shinobi could not follow on the ground below. They exchanged blows for several minutes, knocking each other around the battlefield while still in mid-air. Eventually, Vegeta was able to land a solid hit and send the Tuffle warrior to the ground below. He was able to land on his feat but his heavy breathing gave away how much effort he was putting into the battle. By comparison, Vegeta seemed to be rather relaxed.

"You've done well to keep up so far, I'll give you that," Vegeta mocked, as he hovered in the air. "But, this fight is over. You clearly don't have the stamina to sustain that power very long and I can feel your energy dropping with each passing second. This is what happens when you rely on science and don't train enough for your power. Typical Tuffle, a race of losers."

The Tuffle shook with anger; his breathing fractured and sweat dripping from his face. In one last attempt, he stretched both of his arms out in front of him and joined them by linking his thumbs. A small ball of yellow energy began to glow in front of them and it slowly expanded as the seconds passed.

'_He'll be putting everything he's got into this attack" _Vegeta realised, as he felt the energy drain for the Tuffle's body to the ball of energy in front of him. Vegeta prepared to counter by turning his body slightly, placing his palm on the back of his other hand. Purple energy gathered around him, before he thrust his arms forwards in anticipation.

"Photon Flash!" the Tuffle yelled out.

"Galick Gun, Fire!" Vegeta responded.

The gold and purple beams collided in the middle of the battlefield, creating a blinding light that engulfed everyone present.

The struggle to breathe was infuriating and the horrible cough he had made everything worse. He gulped down the vial of medicine that Kabuto had left behind, relishing every mouthful of the sickening liquid. After he was done, he licked his lips in anticipation.

"Not long now" he whispered, as laughter interrupted his own statement. "Immortality and a powerful new body all in one day. My, it will be satisfying."

However, as he spoke he felt a presence outside of his room. Initially, he presumed that it was Kabuto but the slowness with which the door opened suggested otherwise. Finally, the young boy outside walked in.

"Back already Sasuke?" Orochimaru asked, sounding both surprised and excited. "Even for you I have to say that is impressive. Now, set the Dragon Balls down and we can begin with our wish."

"I don't have the Dragon Balls, in fact no one will be able to use them ever again" Sasuke responded, to his masters outrage.

"You failed!" Orochimaru screamed, furious that his plans had fallen by the wayside so soon. "If that's true, why have you come back here so casually?"

"I came because I have my own agenda that I want to complete" Sasuke said, as he activated his Sharingan and powered up a Chidori. "I'm stronger than you now, Orochimaru and it's time for this hawk to take flight."

The kick to Tello's jaw came swiftly and completely out of nowhere. He had been keeping an eye on the horizon ever since the sky had suddenly turned dark, waiting for the arrival of whatever warrior had been summoned. His scouter didn't make a single sound before the attack came and it was destroyed by the blow before it could.

"That blonde hair" he gasped, as his assailant slowly walked over to him. "You must be a Saiyan right?"

Goku didn't dignify the question with any kind of response. He couldn't get the sight of all those bodies out of his head, especially the one that Tello had been standing over when he arrived. The elderly man lay unconscious on the ground, being brutally beaten by the unforgiving Tuffle. With enough motive to attack just about anyone, Goku charged at Tello at full force and engaged him in mid-air battle.

"Rasengan!"

Naruto thrust his signature attack into the enemy that had walked towards his master's body. He had to know, he had to see it with his own eyes. He refused to believe that Jiraiya was dead, there was just no way.

"Pervy Sage" he cried out, as he bent down and stared at Jiraiya's lifeless form. Tears began pouring from his eyes, before he began to break down crying. The only parental figure in his life, the one man that had ever looked at him with pride in his eyes, was gone. Naruto felt sick, as a mixture of grief and anger ran through his body. This soon made way for a wild emotion that felt familiar yet indescribable, causing him to shake uncontrollably.

"Naruto, wait!" Neji called out, as he ran over to him with his Byakugan. "It's faint but I can see his chakra still flowing through his body. He's just about alive, he can still make it."

However, Neji's words did not reach the Jinchuriki. The demon inside had taken over and there was not a single thing that Naruto could do about it. Red chakra encased him, first by bubbling up from the inside but then becoming much more severe. It was as if his skin split apart, revealing the beast - like form that lay beneath. He screamed out in animalistic rage and began to attack both friend and foe around him.

"Naruto!" Kakashi cried out, stunned at what he was witnessing. He had no way of suppressing that kind of chakra and he certainly had no way of fighting against it. Desperately, he began searching around for the one man could help while praying that he hadn't been lost in battle.

"Tenzo!"

After a number of panicked seconds, a man wearing the Leaf Village's ANBU uniform arrived at the scene.

"I'll do my best Kakashi," he muttered, as he began making hand signs.

Up above them, the fighting paused for a moment. Goku quickly looked beneath him, looking for the source of the new disruption.

"_Where is that powerful energy coming from?" _he wondered. _"It's huge, yet there's something strange about it. Something inherently evil."_

"You should be keeping an eye on me!"

For a second, Tello though that he had caught Goku with his guard down. But, he hadn't expected his opponent would suddenly disappear in the middle of battle. It was more than just speed; it was as if he literally disappeared.

"Dragon Fist!"

Without his scouter, Tello had not detected Goku flying up towards him until the final second, and by then it was too late. Goku charged towards him with his fist pulled right back, visions of a great dragon surrounding him. With tremendous force, Goku's fist punched straight through the Tuffle's torso and stuck out the other side. Tello barely had the time turn around, meaning that he was facing Goku when the attack connected. It was a gruesome way to end a battle and Goku didn't particularly like it. Yet, he had to finish the fight quickly and saw no other option available to him.

Tello stared straight back at Goku as he died. He showed no fear over his upcoming demise or any repentance for what he had done. All that could be seen in his eyes was the deep hatred created by a lifetime of resentment.

"You think you've won, don't you?" Tello croaked, using his final breaths to give his speech. "Well, you are a fool if you believe it. The thing is, that we're not the main invading force. We just came to check out the planet, see if any Saiyans were actually still here. Our King will arrive soon and he makes us look like complete jokes. I guess on a more personal level, my only regret is that I will not get to see him annihilate you."

His breathing became much more restricted after that, as the damage he sustained finally took it's toll. With his last breath, he spat the blood that had gathered in his mouth onto Goku's face as the light left his eyes. On the ground below, Tenzo was able to restrain Naruto with his Wood Style and suppress the harmful chakra that had consumed him.

Goku let the Tuffle's body fall from his grasp and simply stayed there floating for a number of seconds.

"_Looks like this entire situation has become much more complicated."_

**A/N: Things are getting very busy for me at the minute; with exams only a few weeks away and with some assignments still to finish. So, I won't be posting another chapter until late June most likely (sorry about that). However, by the time I next update I hope to have edited all the previous chapters (including this one) to add some more detail and other things I may have forgot. Anyway, hope you enjoyed what was a slightly rushed chapter.**


	10. Only the Beginning

**A/N: Hi guys! Sorry about the wait, but I've done nothing but study for the past month and didn't really have time. Anyway, I did go back and edit the other chapters but I didn't change much. You will probably want to re-read the last two chapters before this one though because I've changed my mind on what I'm doing with Sasuke (well I went back to my original idea for his character). **

Chapter 10: Only the Beginning

"Guess it really is empty then. What a shame."

Sasuke frowned as he walked out of the cave, trying to hide his disappointment. He hadn't really expected to find Itachi in the nearest Akatsuki base to the hideout but it was frustrating nevertheless.

"Well, I did say that I didn't detect any chakra coming from inside" the red haired girl snapped, while she adjusted her glasses. "Maybe next time-"

"Shut up Karin" Sasuke said harshly, as he walked straight passed her towards the boy sat on the grass. Karin watched Sasuke as he went and noted the change in his chakra.

"_He's angry, way more angry than anything I have ever felt before. He's putting on a façade around us, but it's always bubbling below the surface. I don't get it, he was always so cool and calm in the past, what's changed?"_

"Suigetsu, I thought you were watching Jugo?" Sasuke asked, sounding more like he was telling him off than anything else.

"I thought I told you that you aren't my boss in this little arrangement" Suigetsu shot back, before he casually took another sip from the flask he held in his hand. Sasuke held his gaze over Suigetsu, who eventually just gave in and laughed. "Fine, have it your way for now if you want. He's in the trees over there talking to animals or something. Pretty creepy if you ask me."

Sasuke ignored Suigetsu's final words and simply walked over to where Jugo was. Before he got there, the giant Shinobi came running out, wide-eyed and in shock.

"Sasuke, I-"

Jugo was cut off by the terrible rage that came over him. Glowing red marks began to rush around his body, turning his skin a sickly green colour and his eyes a terrible yellow. Seeing this horrible change as nothing more than an annoying inconvenience, Sasuke simply summoned a pair of giant snakes from his sleeves and wrapped them around him. Within a minute, he returned to his normal state.

"Finish what you were saying" Sasuke demanded.

"I know where the Akatsuki are," Jugo stammered, looking positively terrified at the information he had just received.

* * *

><p>Goku felt his muscles relax and what was remaining of his ki return to a normal method of circulation throughout his body. He knew that his job was done for the day at least but the intensity of the battle and the amount of power he was forced to use was worrying, especially when there was a power on it's way that's many times higher. Although, there was one hope that he could think of. Goku stared back down at the battlefield, where that tremendous power had come from just a few seconds before. Judging by the state of the collapsed boy on the ground and the collection of wooden statues surrounding him, it was clear that the power had been emanating from him. Quite how useful it could be in the future was unclear to him, as the reaction from the people below made it clear that he had no control over this power at all and the sheer evil and that came from it made it doubtful if it could ever be harnessed.<p>

"Hey! Are you going to finish these things off or what?"

The shout from a random voice broke Goku from his thoughts and he turned his attention to the remaining Cybermen that were still engaging the Shinobi below. Counting how many there were, Goku simply stretched out his arm and fired off a succession of ki blasts, each of which decimated the unsuspecting and out – matched creations. A strange silence fell over the battlefield, as the threat they had been facing vanished in the blink of an eye. To say it was a strange situation was putting it lightly and many weren't even sure how they should react. After another few seconds, a raucous cheer broke out across the battlefield all directed at the man they saw as a saviour. Goku didn't have the heart to tell them what he had just heard; they may as well have at least one more happy moment. He sighed and then headed down towards the boy.

"How is he?" Goku asked the nearest man, who had what looked like a metallic headband covering his eye.

"He'll be fine now, he just needs to rest. Using the power of a tailed beast can be quite harmful for the Jinchuriki when they haven't mastered it" the man responded, which just gave Goku more questions than answers. "I'm Kakashi by the way."

"My name's Goku" he replied, taking the hand that had been offered and thinking about how strange the name was. "So, I was told that there should be a commander around here somewhere, is that you."

"Actually, it's him" Kakashi sighed, pointing towards the unconscious man on the ground that was being treated by a medical team. "There's a chance that he'll pull through but you won't be able to talk to him for a long time. If you need to talk to someone with authority, our leaders should be meeting in the Hidden Cloud Village after the battles have been completed, so I suppose that you could talk to them there."

"Okay, I'll have to follow you guys there then, is there anything I can do to help right now?"

Kakashi was startled by the offer and wasn't really sure how to respond. How do you order around the man that had just saved your entire planet?

"Erm, no I think we've got it covered" Kakashi replied cheerily despite the circumstances. "How about I just lead you back to the Cloud Village now?"

"That'll work, my friends will probably go there with the other guys as well" Goku said, as he picked up Naruto. "While we go, tell me more about this kid and where that power is coming from."

* * *

><p>"So, what is it then Kakarot? I thought our job was done and now your saying there's more to it?"<p>

"I told you Vegeta, I don't want to explain it twice so just wait until we meet with those cage people okay?"

"I'm pretty sure it was pronounced Kage Dad."

The Z fighters were all in separate stalls changing into the replacement gear they had been given by the Shinobi. Of course, Vegeta couldn't allow such moments to pass without starting an argument.

"Hey, these things look pretty cool!" Goten said as he proudly strut out of his stall wearing a grey outfit over a black mesh that was tight to his skin. He'd even put on the Cloud Village headband he'd been given.

"Yeah, and look at these weapons they gave us!" Trunks exclaimed, as he walked out wearing an identical outfit. "These star things looks so awesome, hey Goten try and block this with that head thing."

Trunks launched the Shiruken at Goten, who was able to move his headbands in time to deflect it. However, rather than doing that it shattered on contact and fell to pieces on the floor.

"Hey, you broke it!" Goten yelled.

"Not my fault it's a piece of crap!" Trunks shot back. Predictably, this soon led to a brawl between the two of them as they ran towards each other. However, before either one could land a blow Gohan sprang to life and moved in between them, catching their wrists and stopping them in their tracks.

"You two need to give it a rest" he said, serious and logical as usual. He was wearing a standard Leaf Village uniform, complete with flack jacket and blue shirt.

"Gohan's right, we're all low on power right now and we still have more fighting to do, so don't waste it" Goku piped up as he stepped into the open wearing an identical outfit to that of his oldest son.

"Why are we still low on power Kakarot? And why do we still have to fight? We destroyed those useless Tuffle's all ready so what more do we have to do?"

Vegeta had finally stepped out, unsurprisingly wearing a unique outfit. He had chosen the uniform usually reserved for the ANBU of the Leaf Village, complete with the katana although he had incinerated what he had deemed a "foolish" facemask.

"I just said I'd tell you what I know soon" Goku began, sounding frustrated. "As for the ki thing, according to Piccolo it's probably a side affect of losing all of the power we had. Anyway, we're wasting time standing around we should get going."

"Not us, we want to see what this place is about" Goten declared and was quickly backed by Trunks. Before anyone could object, the two boys ran off. Goku just shook his head and chuckled, while Vegeta muttered expletives and the word "useless" multiple times.

* * *

><p>"Lady Tsunade, glad you could finally join us. How is Jiraiya doing?"<p>

Even though he meant well, every time the Tsuchikage spoke Tsunade felt annoyed. It was just the way he spoke, as if every word was intended to display how superior he was over them all, which of course was not in any way true. Still, she knew it was not the time and place and that it was her job to make sure everyone worked together.

"He's alive, Shizune can handle the rest of the treatment herself" Tsunade responded, keeping things brief on purpose. "I take it those Saiyan people aren't here yet?"

"No, they went to change their clothes" Mei replied, as she gazed out of the window. "We're so high up here it really is amazing. You can even see the birds flying past the window."

"Stop trying to change the subject Mizukage, we're all thinking the same thing here" Ay snarled from his chair in the corner. "They wouldn't want to talk to us like this if something wasn't wrong."

As if he'd timed it perfectly, Goku opened the door just after Ay finished speaking. There was an eerie silence in the room, which as especially odd as it was the first time they had all spoken with each other. Still, it left everyone with no doubt as to what the gravity of the situation was.

"Come on Goku" Piccolo grunted. "Enough of your excuses, you need to start talking."

"There's one more coming" Goku blurted out, not bothering with any more build up. "He told me, just before he died. Their king is on his way and he's much more powerful than the one's we fought. The fact that we can't sense him means that he can suppress his power and crucially we can't track him or predict when and where he'll arrive."

"I see" Tsunade stammered, trying to process the information she was getting. She knew that it was too good to be true; it had all been too simple. "Do you think you can win?"

"Not at this power" Gohan commented despondently. "We don't know how long it will take to restore the ki we recently lost either."

"So, you're saying after all we went through to revive you guys, you can't help us?" Ay yelled, his lightning armour beginning to consume him. Vegeta seemed visibly unimpressed with this attempted show at power and made this known through an audible "pfft."

"There's one person that can help us now" Goku began, surprising everyone present. "Where is Naruto Uzumaki right now?"

"Naruto?" Gaara asked, although he didn't need an answer. "He's in the village isn't he? All of the Jinchuriki are here."

"Yes that's right, we thought it best to keep them here given that they would be defenceless in their own villages without the Kage there" Tsunade explained. "Naruto himself is still unconscious though, the effects of the Nine Tails chakra still hasn't worn off."

"Sorry, I'm lost here" Gohan sighed, although he wasn't alone as both Piccolo and Vegeta seemed similarly confused.

"Naruto has a demon sealed inside of him," Goku said, recalling the information given to him by Kakashi. "That's what that foul ki was that you felt, a fraction of it's power leaked out."

"Wait, why does he have a demon?" Gohan asked, letting his curiosity get the better of him.

"It's to maintain the balance of power between the nations" Mei replied. "There are nine Tailed Beasts in the world and for our own safety we were forced to seal them away within people. These people became known as Jinchuriki, with examples being Naruto Uzumaki and Lord Kazekage here. It is believed that the Nine Tailed Fox is the strongest of the demons so consequently he would be the strongest of the Jinchuriki."

"And these beasts sometimes get sealed in children?" Piccolo asked, which was answered with a nod from the various Kage. "How disgusting."

"For once, the Namek is right" Vegeta scoffed. "It's shameful, you would put these things in children rather than take the responsibility yourselves."

"You don't know anything about it!" Ay yelled, smashing the desk in front of him. Furious, he lunged at Vegeta who simply stood with his arms crossed. Before getting there, a wall of sand stopped his attack.

"That's not going to help things," Gaara said. "Besides, any attack you make will hurt yourself far more than it would hurt him."

"So, you want to control the power of the Nine Tails?" Onoki croaked, laughing under his breath as he did so.

"Is it possible?" Goku pleaded.

Both Tsunade and Ay went to open their mouth but were interrupted by the flattering of wings. A small group of doves flew in through the open window and slowly circled the desk. They looked confused, as if they'd flown in by accident.

"Damn birds" Ay muttered, apparently used to this happening in his office.

"No!" Onoki yelled, suddenly jumping up from his seat. "Those aren't birds."

* * *

><p>On the edge of the village, a blonde haired man wearing a black cloak with red clouds was stood on a giant clay owl hovering above the village. He looked through the sight covering his right eye and chuckled as he watched the action unfold. He slowly raised two fingers and brought them level with his nose in front of his face.<p>

"_Too late old man" _he thought, so excited he could barely stand still. _"Once I've dealt with you and those other annoying old bores, I'll simply pick up the Kazekage and my quota is met. My only regret is that I can't see your face as I do this. Now, let us begin."_

"Katsu!"


End file.
